What to do after a crash or breakdown

What you need

• Saved in your phone: 999 (national emergency: police, ambulance, fire), your insurer and your dealer's helpline
• Photos or copies of your licence, registration and insurance papers

Steps

1. Get yourself and others out of traffic. Switch on hazard lights if you have them.
2. If anyone is hurt, call 999. Do not move an injured person unless they are in more danger where they are.
3. Take photos: the scene, all vehicles, number plates, damage and road conditions.
4. Note the other driver's name, phone, vehicle number and the names and numbers of witnesses.
5. Tell your insurer as soon as you can. Policies often have a deadline for reporting.
6. For a serious crash, or if the insurer asks, report it at the nearest police station and keep a copy of the report.
7. Breakdown: push the bike well off the road, then call your dealer's helpline or a mechanic you know.

Common mistakes

• Arguing or agreeing to a cash settlement on the spot before you know the damage and injuries.
• Handing your bike or papers to a stranger who offers to 'sort it out'.
• Riding on after a fall without checking the brakes, forks, bars and lights.

When to go to a mechanic

• Any crash, even a slow one. Bent forks, wheels or brake parts are not always visible.
• See a doctor too. Some injuries only show up hours later.

More guides

• How to check and set tyre pressure
• Cleaning and lubing your chain
• Checking and changing engine oil
• Brake check you can do in two minutes
• Battery care and hard starting